Crusaders not focusing on league table insists BJ Burns

Three points separate the Belfast sides with only three games to play.

Saturday’s victory at The Showgrounds made it five wins on the bounce for the Crues who must fancy their chances in overhauling the Ovalmen.

Experienced campaigner Billy Joe Burns though says they will just focus on trying to will as many games as possible between now and the end of the season.

“The league table will look after itself,” said the defender.

“I know it’s a cliché but we’re just enjoying it at the minute and taking it a game at a time.

“Wherever we finish up we finish up.

“If we get third, happy days, if we don’t we don’t – that’s the way it goes.

“Maybe our form is a bit too late.

“We’re actually a bit disappointed at how the season’s panned out.

“We want to be challenging with Linfield and Glentoran.

“We think we deserve to be in there but a few silly results throughout the year has knocked us back a bit.

“But we’ve a cup final to look forward to so all being well we’ll get a good result there and it’ll be a successful season.”

Burns and his team-mates produced another impressive display against the Bannsiders and had the game wrapped up by half-time thanks to goals from Adam Lecky, Paul Heatley and Daniel Larmour.

Jude Winchester’s goal at the start of the second half put the icing on the cake, but Burns admitted conceding a late consolation was the only disappointment.

“It was nearly perfect – that goal we conceded near the end was a real sickener,” he said.

“But coming down to Coleraine and winning 4-1, you can’t really complain about that so we’ll take it and get up the road.

“When you’re going good things like happen for you (fast start).

“The other side of it, like Coleraine, when you’re going bad those things go against you.

“That’s just the way it goes and we’ve been in the position that they’re in many a time ourselves.

“They’ve just got to dig in deep and try and get out the other side of it.

“For us, it was the perfect start and we were delighted to go in 3-0 up at half-time.

“Getting the fourth goal early in the second half killed the game off.

“Everyone’s confident and we’re enjoying our football at the minute so it’s good to see.”